Top racing at Buckfastleigh

The old racecourse at Buckfastleigh, adjacent to the A38, is the location for this Sunday’s South pool point-to-point where the feature race is the West Country Champion Chase, writes Donna Harris.

Tt will be a new experience for racegoers this year with horses racing in the opposite direction, ie left handed, which will stop the horses having to pass the entrance to the horse box park and paddock just before the finish.

Two pony races kick of the action at 11am and 11.20am, followed by the main race card at 12 noon with 110 entries received for the six races.

The feature race of the day is the West Country Champion Chase Mixed Open sponsored by Totnes & Bridgetown Races Co. This could be another battle to the winning post between Faasel and Kirkleigh. They ground it out to the finish at Wadebridge with the John Heard trained Faasel getting up by three quarters of a length. Faasel then went on to take the Mixed Open at Black Forest Lodge for jockey Michael Heard who is currently sharing the lead in the jockeys table. Sue Trump’s Kirkleigh opted for a Hunter Chase at Wincanton where he notched up another win for the in form Robert Chanin yard. Findlay’s Find, another entry, was the winning most pointer of last season but found little on his season’s debut run when pulling up at Black Forest Lodge in December.

First up is the confined and Turthen, who gave Eleri Apps her first ever winner in the members’ race at Chipley Park, could add to that success. His form of nine wins including second in a Cheltenham Foxhunter suggests he has more to come.

Exeter Racecourse sponsors the intermediate. Entries include King of Alcatraz who stayed on well to take the restricted at Black Forest Lodge for Vicky Wade and is sure to improve for that run, It is a classy field and a strong case could be made for most of the runners, which include Indiana Bay, unbeaten in three races last season.

Two Maiden races follow and in the horses and geldings race Gontdevon could improve on his second behind Ladfromhighworth at Black Forest Lodge recently, and in the mares’ maiden True Tara ran promisingly at Chipley Park until weakening after the 15th fence.

The restricted wraps up the day’s events and in this Camilla Scott’s Ladfromhighworth gets the vote having made virtually all staying on gamely to win by a length for jockey Vicky Wade at the Black Forest Lodge meeting.

On course there are bookies, a bar,catering and trade stands. Admission is £20 per carload and £10 car/driver. The course is located at Lower Dean adjacent to A38, postcode TQ11 OLT.